The sophomore album of Maryland born Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, aka Logic, was a highly anticipated album. His impeccable rapping ability due to his speed and complex flow has made him one of the best upcoming rappers of his generation. The album takes a different path compared to his debut album, Under Pressure, which told the story of his childhood and how he found music, inadvertently helping him stay clear of a life of drugs and crime. The Incredible True Story, which takes place in the year 2115, tells the story of an interstellar mission surrounding two men, pilot Quentin Thomas and his partner William Kai who are aboard the Aquarius 3 space ship. Their mission is to find the planet Paradise, which would hopefully be sustainable enough for humans to inhabit. As the album progresses, you learn that the earth was virtually destroyed in the year 2065 by human nature and the remaining 5 million people on earth ascended to a spacecraft called Babel. Over the next 50 years, 30 ships have been sent into space in order to locate a new planet in which humans can inhabit. So far, no such luck. I know what you're thinking, how can Logic tell such a complex story involving space flight and specific dates so far into the future all through music? The way the album is constructed makes it easy to follow as well as allows you to interpret songs on your own. Logic uses music mixed with scenes involving the two pilots to help set up each song and what they are going to be about. In my opinion, this album truly is "Incredible." Like any album, there is the obvious story line and then there’s the true definition of what the album means; what the artist truly meant when releasing his or her music. This is my interpretation of The Incredible True Story.
So what do we know about Logic? Through his music we’ve learned that he comes from a crime-ridden neighborhood and a family where drugs and alcohol took over his parents' lives. We know that he dropped out of high school to pursue his dream of rapping and has since then became successful with it. I think that the whole album is an analogy of his life, from his troubled youth to his rise to fame. Let's start with his youth. When he got kicked out of school, he decided to take the next step and pursue his rapping career. This is similar to how in the album the earth was destroyed and all the remaining people ascended to space to find a new planet, like how Logic needed to find a new path. Both not knowing what the outcome would be. Both scared yet excited, ready to take on what’s out there. Thomas and Kai are looking for the planet Paradise, which in Logic’s case is stardom, or rather peacemaker. This is different from fame, as Logic is more focused on overall creating a better world. If you think more about it, Thomas and Kai are searching for paradise not for them, but for everyone. For all the people still stranded on Babel. Logic is making music not for him, but for the people. Babel is defined as a confused mixture of sound. This is an analogy of his early rap career where he was still finding his voice and learning to rap how he does today. Paradise is where he is at presently, as in the end Thomas and Kai make it. Much like Logic “made it” as a rapper. This is just my personal interpretation of the album. Yours might be very different, but that’s the point. Music doesn’t just have to mean one thing, it's how it makes you think and feel and connect with the artist on a personal level. This is why I think many artist talk about their personal life, so you can relate it to your life and feel more connected. But everyone connects differently. If you haven’t heard The Incredible True Story, I recommend you give it a listen. Truly an amazing album.